I received a question this week from āNo Thanksā at ā[email protected]ā wanting to know my thoughts on what to get a man for Valentineās Day. Since I am an expert on this subject (I am a man, after all), I figure I can rise to the request of Ms. Thanks. So with plenty of shopping days left; here are five ideas for this yearās Valentineās Day (in no particular order):
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Without a doubt, one of the best decisions that Barry and I ever made after we got married was to find a set of mentors. My only regret is that we waited so long to do it. Having a set of mentors is a smart decision for any coupleā¦..they give you advice, hold you accountable, and they pray with you when you need it. Plus, theyāre really awesome to have around for fellowship.
Our mentors are Roger and Lori Holbrook. They just so happen to be Barryās kin, so thatās a nice plus. When we asked them to be our mentors, I was really nervous that they were going to say noā¦..but we were blessed when they said yes. We hold Roger and Lori in very high esteem ā they are a blessing to us. When Barry and I arenāt sure about something in scripture, we ask them. When I donāt know why Annie is behaving like a wild native, I ask Lori. When Iām worried about something, I ask them to pray. When I need someone to give me a hard time, I go over to Rogerās house.
There are a few key things you must keep in mind when choosing a mentor. Iāll outline those below. Please, please think about getting one. You wonāt regret it. Pray and ask the Lord to show you who might be a good choice for you and your spouse. [Read more…]
I recently read a book about hospitality called Face to Face: Meditations on Friendship and Hospitality. It was an excellent read and one I would recommend to anyone. It really kicked me in the tail. While I have a heart for hospitality in general, sometimes I find myself lacking in that area ā even though it is referred to several times in the New Testament.Ā Why do I struggle? Well, letās be honest ā whole foods arenāt cheap. I buy the good stuff nowā¦.so sometimes I want to hoard it for myself and my family. Sometimes itās hard to use my coconut oil on someone who might not care. But hereās the thingā¦..it doesnāt matter if they care. What matters is that Iām showing love to them and filling their tummy.Ā āBy this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35 Hospitality is showing love to your Christian brothers and sisters by filling their tummy and making them a part of your home.
Most people struggle with the same thing I do ā the money part. If youāre strapped for cash when feeding your own family, how can you feed other people? The answer is simple ā hospitality doesnāt have to break the bank. The thought that hospitality is expensive is a LIE. Hospitality is sharing what you have with someone else ā giving of yourself and your abundance.Ā As Barry has said before, if you hold your money in a closed fist, it surely wonāt leaveā¦ā¦but nothing can get in either. Sharing what you have will fill you up with joy and fulfillment. And hereās how to do it without spending a fortune. [Read more…]
Remember in October when Barry and I shared with you that we were 100% debt free? I told you that weād keep you posted on our plans and how things were going. Since then weāve been saving, still with the same fervency that we used to get out of debt. And now, weāre going to sell our townhouse. On Saturday, we put it on the market and we are so excited! Weāre ready to move up to something a bit bigger for our family, with a nice basement, and a yard for Annie to play in.
We decided that at first, we would attempt to sell our house on our own. I know that even Dave Ramsey doesnāt recommend that, but hereās something you might not know about Barry and Iā¦..weāre cheap and hard headed. When we figured out how much money weād have to spend when using a realtor (fees, etc), that was a big shocker. So, to try to avoid that and keep our hands on more cash, I’m planning to sell my house super quick to a home buyer.
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I’m a fun gift giver…..when someone gets a gift from me, they know it probably won’t require batteries or dusting. Stockings are my favorite part of Annie’s Christmas gift. I KNOW I have more fun stuffing it than she does opening it. Who doesn’t get excited to find a light up toothbrush at Target for $1.07? I wish someone would put a light up toothbrush in MY stocking. The best part is, when the batteries run out in the toothbrush you can just give it to the dog for a chew toy. At least that’s what Christy from The Simple Homemaker does. More bang for your buck! [Read more…]
Happy Sunday everyone!Ā I have enjoyed this past week thoroughly and I hope you have as well.Ā Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of all because it is about food, family, and remembering the reasons you have for being thankful.Ā Period.Ā No gifts, no funky costumes (unless you count your fat pants as a costume).Ā I usually take off the week of Thanksgiving to try to do some deer hunting and this year was no exception.Ā Iām a bit odd when it comes to my hunting style, though.Ā While I am always on the lookout for a nice deer for the freezer, Iām equally interested in the quiet as an opportunity to think and reflect on things that the busyness of life have just kept me from considering.Ā It is a time I cherish each year. [Read more…]
It seems to me as the years pass by, that Thanksgiving is becoming the āforgotten holiday.ā Stores put out fall decorations early, but before Halloween is over, they put Christmas stuff out and put āfallā items on clearance ā as though the holiday is totally over. This saddens me. That’s one reason I came up with this ThanksgivingĀ traditionĀ of theĀ ThankfulĀ Box.
PeopleĀ put their Christmas decorations out as soon as Halloween is over…but, I boycott. I wonāt put out Christmas things until after Thanksgiving is over. Itās my way of āsticking it to the Man.āĀ I never want Thanksgiving to be forgotten in the Myers house. By creating ThanksgivingĀ traditions, I am making sure thatĀ the holiday has a proper place of importance.Ā BecauseĀ y’allĀ – itāsĀ important in this life to be thankful.Ā [Read more…]
Rejoice with me friends! WEāRE DEBT FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Recently we paid off the remainder of our townhouse and now weāre 100% debt free! I had always told Barry that when we were done with the house debt that I wanted to take a trip to Nashville and do our scream live on The Dave Ramsey Show. So, for my 30th birthday, Barry took me, Annie, and my mom to Nashville to celebrate. Financial Peace Plaza is a must visit. You can watch the Dave Ramsey show live from the lobby and Dave comes out occasionally so you can meet/speak with him. There is a great bookstore there and a lovely little snack area where you can get homemade goodies and free coffee (or in Annieās case, milk). You do your debt free scream from the bookstore on a little phone they have for that purpose. Plus, you get to meet all sorts of like-minded people who have traveled far and wide to scream that they are also debt free! Every time someone does their yell on the air, the whole lobby stops what theyāre doing and everyone begins to clap and yell. Itās AWESOME! |
Once youāre done on the air, you get to sign your name on the Debt Free Wall. I was afraid Iād misspell something or write something totally lame and it would be there for all of eternityā¦.I am NOT the Queen of Spelling. Of course, I was the obvious choice since Barryās writing looks like chicken scratch. Annie was quite perplexed as to why Mommy got to write on the wall, but she is not permitted to do so at home. She was more concerned that her Nina was eating her brownie in the other room while she was busy with her Mommy writing on some wall. |
Here is our inscriptionā¦..no spelling errors. Whew. In 8 months, we were able to pay off $20,000 by cutting our budget to the bare bones and doing lots of extra side jobs. One thing Iāve learned about paying off debt is that you HAVE to be focused. If youāre not focused and determined, it makes your job longer and harder. |
We were very excited and honored to meet Dave Ramsey. I got so excited that I just so happened to tell him that he ārocked my face off.ā I know he had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. Uh, oops? Leave it to me to say something totally dumb. If I meet you for the first time and say something dumb, just overlook it. |
It was a really great trip and one weāll remember forever. Weāve changed our family tree and weāve also changed how Annie will always perceive money. āTrain a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.ā Proverbs 22:6We were able to get our call taped because I wanted to share it with you. Let it be an encouragement to you. If youāre on the road to being debt free, you WILL make it! And things are so much better on the other side. š Please know that Barry and I are always here to help you however we can. āDebt is normal. Be weird.ā āDave Ramsey |
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| Okay, so you know how you hear something on television and you think āI donāt know if I believe that.ā And then you try it yourself at home to see if it really does work? Thatās not just meā¦ā¦.right? I will try just about anything ā except raw fish. Iām not even going to go there. I was watching The Doctors with my mom one day and heard this tip about getting rid of blackheads by using Elmerās School Glue. Well. Huh. Who knew? [Read more…] |
There have been some questions voiced from you guys that I feel like I need to address. They come in all different formats, but they are basically all the same question. āHow can you, former Queen of the Coupons, now eat healthy without breaking the bank? Didnāt your budget suffer?ā Itās a thought provoking question that Iāve been thinking on for a while. So, I hope this post will make sense to you and maybe help you understand how Iāve made this HUGE switch. [Read more…] |
